April 4, 1997.

Since the fall of Kisangani town three weeks ago, nearly 150,000 rwandese refugees who were scattered in and around TINGI TINGI camps have been left at the mercy of the zairean rebels who had been hunting them since November 1996. This is notwithstanding the other 200,000 or so refugees in the wilderness in Eastern Zaïre, ever since their camps were reduced to ashes in late 1996.

The situation is so pathetic that since March 22,1997 social volunteers within the refugee flock have recorded 982 deaths either out of lack of care or in the hands of rebels. At this rate, within less than three months, all the refugees would be wiped out if nothing is done to redress the situation.

Soon after the assault of TINGI TINGI camps mid-February 1997, despite a UN resolution calling for the protection of refugees, no single humanitarian organization has been allowed to assist refugees without hindrance. Owing to their impunity since they launched their war in October 1996, rebels of ADFL have sarcastically ignored calls from UN, UNHCR, some european countries and even the latest call by the US Government to allow humanitarian aid to refugees.

ADFL rebels have even blocked at Lula some of the nearly 100,000 refugees on the move between Ubundu and Kisangani searching for survival. ADFL rebels are insisting against all odds that they make a U-turn and head back to Ubundu or be relocated at Kasesi or Biaro without assistance, despite their appalling physical and health condition. Indeed, those on the move are dying at a rate of 70 per day.

Instead of keeping on paying a mere lip service to their plight and owing to their unacceptable agony, RDR calls on the international community to:

1. exert a genuine and a greater pressure to ADFL rebels and their backers so as to allow immediate resumption of humanitarian aid to refugees or face sanctions;

2. facilitate the regroupment of all the refugees scattered in Eastern Zaïre at a single and internationally monitored spot;

3. allow a reasonable time to stabilise the physical and health condition of refugees before proceeding with the repatriation exercise;

4. kick off the repatriation with those who had already registered voluntarily at Tingi Tingi, Amisi, and even Ubundu camps;

5. escort and register all returnees at the border entry before sending them to their respective communes;

6. consider seriously the case of refugees who are not willing to go back to Rwanda under the present circumstances due to genuine reasons. This is provided for in UNHCR statutes even in case of massive repatriation.

Although their condition may be less pathetic, the case of nearly 30,000 refugees now at Karuba, 13 km West of Sake town, should also not be forgotten. They need to be repatriated in an orderly and secure manner.

Rwandese refugees have suffered enough mostly due to the misunderstanding or playing down of their grievances. Leaving the few survivors to die of hunger or bullets of ADFL rebels and its backers will not only be a moral crime, but a shame to the civilised world.

RDR sincerely thanks all those who untirelessly have voiced their concern over the plight of rwandese refugees and continue to do so.